March 26 Coronavirus Latest Updates: Death Toll Tops 20,000

More than 471,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus worldwide and over 21,000 have died from it, according to the latest figure, released by Johns Hopkins University late on Wednesday.

Greek health authorities announced on Wednesday that two more people had died from the COVID-19 coronavirus and 78 new cases had been recorded throughout the country.

The total number of cases in Greece has risen to 892 and the death toll to 26.

Technology giants Microsoft and Bing have created an interactive map, on which you can select areas and see active, recovered and fatal cases of coronavirus infections. You can also see results by country, along with useful information on the disease. View it here.

Updates on Thursday

22:15: Eleven tons of medical supplies donated by the United Arab Emirates to Greece arrived on Thursday, March 26, 2020 at the El. Venizelos Airport in Athens. Full story.

21:45: According to the Italian public broadcaster Rai, the government of Giuseppe Conte has rejected the draft of the conclusions of the European Summit, which was held on Thursday via teleconference. Italy wants more concrete help from the EU on the financial aspect of the crisis.

20:18: England officials announced that those who have died from the coronavirus in the UK have risen by 115 in the last 24 hours. The total death toll in the UK has now risen to 578.

20:15: The leadership of the Orthodox Christian Church of Greece requested an exemption from the coronavirus curfew measures in a letter to the Education & Religion Ministry officials on Thursday. Their request was submitted so that they could carry on liturgies on a normal schedule, behind closed doors.

20:00: Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis uploaded a guideline of how people can seek mental health support during these difficult times.

19:55: Cyprus records a total of 146 coronavirus cases after 14 more people were tested positive in the last 24 hours.

19:25: Italy records 662 new deaths from the pandemic. The total death toll there has now risen to 8,165.

18:40: The state of New York in the USA has recorded 100 more deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the total death toll to 385.

18:38: Approximately 4.5 million text messages have been sent from Monday morning to Thursday to Greece’s 13033 number, where citizens can declare to the state the reason why they intend to leave their home. This service is used by those who do not want to carry a paper form of the declaration.

18:03: Greece records 71 new cases of coronavirus. The country has now recorded a total of 892 cases. The total death toll now stands at 26. 54 people are in serious condition. 42 people have recovered and have already left the hospital. Full story.

17:50: French President Emmanuel Macron along with seven other EU leaders, including Greece’s Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis, have launched an appeal for Europe to tackle this health crisis through effective collective action.

All over Europe, the COVID-19 epidemic is spreading more quickly and intensely. In these serious times, Europe must…

17:28: A newborn baby in Greece’s Kastoria has been tested positive to the coronavirus. It is still unclear whether the baby’s mother has also contracted the virus or not.

17:20: Police in England have now been given the power to arrest people and fine them up to £60 for breaking the lockdown.

17:13: Dimitris Kremastinos, 77, a former Greek MP for the Movement for Change (KINAL) party has tested positive to the coronavirus. His health condition is described as good. Kremastinos is hospitalized in the Evangelismos hospital in Athens.

16:15: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday expressed her gratitude to all those professionals who are keeping Europe going, at a time when the vast majority of Europeans are self-isolated at home.

History is now looking at us. Let us do the right thing together – with one big heart, rather than 27 small ones. pic.twitter.com/r1vazyRSRZ

16:10: The Greek government says that the country now has 813 intensive care units compared to 565 before the crisis of the pandemic. It also said that 1,356 additional medical staff has been hired, while a total of 3,285 new hirings have already been approved.

15:36: Greek Police announced on Thursday that there were 1,155 recorded violations of the curfew on Wednesday. This additional measure has been imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus throughout Greece.

15:16: Professor Elias Mossialos, a Brian Abel-Smith Professor of Health Policy in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics, has been appointed by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis as Greece’s representative to all international organizations regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Mossialos was also a member of the cabinet of George Papandreou between 2009 and 2011.

15:12: The organizers of Greece’s Superleague, Superleague 2, and Football League football championships have asked the Greek state to include all their football players on the list of those who are entitled to the €800 grant from the state. It is noted that all championships in Greece were postponed several days ago.

13:20: Greek industrial group Mytilineos has donated 65 ventilators for use in the country’s intensive care units following an agreement with the Health Ministry, the company announced on Thursday.

13:10: The latest data from Spain shows the death toll has risen by 655 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 4,089 – slightly lower than Wednesday’s rise of 738. The number of confirmed cases rose to 56,188.

13:05: Frontex, the European border agency, produced the following map of travel restrictions in Europe:

12:55: Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas says more than 8,000 people have registered with the government volunteer program to help the public health service.

12:50: Fraport Greece and Copelouzos Group, in a joint donation shared equally by the two companies, on Thursday announced that they will give 500,000 surgical masks to support the Greek health system in its battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

12:00: A Greek woman was spotted using an ingenious way to provide her mother with supplies without coming in close contact. The footage, shot in the Kallithea district of Athens, shows the woman using a rope to send supplies to her elderly mother, who is self-isolating on a top floor of an apartment building.

11:30: Greece will repatriate its citizens from Turkey on Thursday afternoon, the country’s Consulate General in Istanbul announced Wednesday.

An Aegean Airlines emergency flight will depart from Istanbul’s Airport at 5:20 p.m. (Turkish time), but passengers are asked to be at the airport by 3 p.m. local time, at the latest.

10:35: Greece estimates a contraction in its economy at between 1 and 3% this year from the impact of coronavirus which has brought economic activity to a virtual standstill, its finance minister said on Thursday. Full story

10:30: A 46-year-old army officer infected with Covid-19 has died at an Alexandroupolis hospital, north-eastern Greece, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 23. The total number of cases stands at 821. Full story

09:50: A 96-year-old woman in South Korea has become the oldest patient in the country to fully recover from the novel coronavirus. The woman, identified by Cheongdo County as Ms. Hwang, was declared completely recovered on Wednesday.

Photo source: Cheongdo County, South Korea

09:10: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally is likely to reach half a million in just a few days, the latest Johns Hopkins University figures show, as the number of Italy’s cases edge closer to overtaking those in China. The total number of confirmed cases worldwide is currently 471,783.

08:40: Eight more people tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, raising the total cases in Cyprus to 132, while three have lost their lives so far in the pandemic.

08:30: A 42-year-old German visiting professor died in the general hospital of Heraklio, Crete, on Wednesday. He was the third confirmed case on the island and was hospitalized intubated in the Intensive Care Unit in the last days of his life. According to local media, he had no underlying health problems.

08:15: The Russian government has ordered the civil aviation authority to suspend all regular and charter flights to and from Russia from March 27, the government said on its website.

08:00: The Senate voted to pass a $2 trillion economic relief package, which will go to the House next. The number of US cases has topped 65,000, with over 930 fatalities. Full story